Big West Announces 2013-14 ESPN Men's Basketball Television Schedule

IRVINE, CA - Big West Conference Commissioner Dennis Farrell today announced that ESPN networks will televise a minimum of 19 men's basketball games during the 2013-14 season.

Five regular season Big West contests will be aired nationally on ESPN2 and ESPNU. All matchups will be determined utilizing a "Wild Card" format in which ESPN will make its selections 3-4 weeks prior to the event. Four ESPNU games are slated for Jan. 16, Feb. 1, Mar. 1 and Mar. 6, while ESPN2 will also host a Mar. 1 game.

In addition, the Big West Basketball Tournament semifinals and championship at Honda Center will appear across various ESPN platforms. The Friday, Mar. 14 semifinals will be televised live on ESPN3 and ESPNU at 6:30 and 9:00 p.m. (PT), respectively. In addition, the first semifinal will be tape delayed on ESPNU at 11:00 p.m. (PT). The championship game will tip on ESPN2 on Saturday, Mar. 15 at 7:30 p.m. (PT).

An additional 11 non-conference telecasts are currently scheduled on ESPN networks. For the sixth straight year, Hawai`i will participate in ESPN's annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, a smorgasbord of more than a dozen live games spanning more than 24 hours on ESPN platforms. The Rainbow Warriors host New Mexico State on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at midnight (HT) and 2:00 a.m. (PT) on ESPN2.

Big West schools are participating in three ESPN Regional Television (ERT) owned and operated eight-team holiday tournaments. All 12 games at each site will be aired on ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3. Each tournament participant will play a total of three games. Long Beach State opens up on ESPN2 against last year's national runner-up Michigan in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic on Thursday, Nov. 21. Cal State Fullerton hosts the first two days of the Wooden Legacy and the final day of competition will be at Honda Center. The Titans play Marquette in an ESPN2 Thanksgiving Day matchup on Thursday, Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m. (PT). The holiday basketball festivities round out with the fifth edition of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, hosted by the University of Hawai`i. The Rainbow Warriors take on Boise State in the opening round on Sunday, Dec. 22 on ESPNU.

Also included in the lineup is a Dec. 21 matchup on ESPN3 in which Cal Poly visits Pittsburgh.

"We're thrilled with our continuing relationship with ESPN and anticipate another exciting season of Big West basketball on the ESPN networks," said Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell. "The Big West will maintain a strong presence from the season's start with the Tip-Off Marathon all the way through to March Madness and the conference tournament."

IRVINE, CA - The Big West Conference, in partnership with Prime Ticket - the official regional telecast home of the Conference - today unveiled the 2013-14 basketball television schedule.
The 14 game television package includes four Big West Tournament men's quarterfinal contests and the women's basketball championship.

The lineup tips-off on Thursday, December 19 with USC visiting Long Beach State in a local non-conference showdown on Prime Ticket.

Eight regular season conference games follow on Prime Ticket, beginning on Thursday, January 9 with UC Irvine at Long Beach State in the Black and Blue rivalry. The 49ers enter the game with a 26-game home court conference winning streak, and have not lost a Big West battle in the Walter Pyramid since Feb. 17, 2010. LBSU is also 42-8 overall on its home court over the last four seasons.
Other schedule highlights include Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton, when respective first-year head coaches, Reggie Theus and Dedrique Taylor test their squads against UC Santa Barbara and the Big West's longest-tenured coach in Bob Williams. The

Matadors and Gauchos meet in a renovated Matadome on Saturday, January 18 while the Titans host UCSB on Saturday, January 25.
The regional television package also features a "Wild Card" Thursday on February 6 in which either Long Beach State at UC Irvine or Cal State Fullerton at UC Riverside will appear on Prime Ticket.

And rounding out the schedule on Saturday, March 8, UC Irvine hosts UC Davis before the 39th annual Big West Tournament tips-off at Honda Center for its fourth consecutive year.

"We look forward to another exciting season of Big West basketball on Prime Ticket," said Big West Conference Commissioner Dennis Farrell. "We anticipate a highly competitive race and are thrilled our partners at FOX will be there to capture all the action."

Big West Unveils Basketball Schedule On ESPN3

IRVINE, CA - A total of 24 Big West basketball games this season will be carried on ESPN3, commencing with opening night in men's regular season conference play and culminating with the women's tournament semifinals at Honda Center in March.

The package features 18 conference dates, including a minimum of 13 men's games and three women's games. Two additional ESPN3 matchups will not be determined until ESPNU makes "wildcard" selections approximately 3-4 weeks in advance of Jan. 16 and Feb. 1 game dates.

All games will originate from Southern California member institutions Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Irvine and UC Riverside. Through the Big West's new mobile production facility, each game will be produced by the Conference utilizing full ESPN production standards, including graphics, replay and on-air crew. It is the first fully operational mobile production unit of its kind that expands upon what ESPN Emerging Technology has already done at the institutional level.

Cal State Northridge, led by first-year head coach Reggie Theus, will host the first two ESPN3 games as UC Davis visits the renovated Matadome in a conference-opening showdown on Thursday, Jan. 9. The Matadors also will welcome Hawai'i on Saturday, Jan. 11. Another head coach in his debut season, Cal State Fullerton's Dedrique Taylor, will bring his Titans into battle against visiting Cal Poly on Thursday, Jan. 23. Preseason Big West favorite UC Irvine gets its initial shot on the ESPN3 platform at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Jan. 25 against Hawai'i.

The inaugural ESPN3 women's contest will tip off from UC Riverside's SRC Arena as the Highlanders entertain Hawai'i on Saturday, Jan. 18. UC Davis at Long Beach State (Feb. 20) and Cal State Northridge at UC Irvine (Feb. 22) also are slated for coverage.

Six Big West women's tournament games will conclude the Big West's basketball presence on ESPN3 for this season. Two first round (Mar. 11) and two quarterfinal (Mar. 12) games will air from Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid, as will the Friday, Mar. 14 semifinals at Honda Center.

ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Xbox, Apple TV and Roku. It is available in more than 85 million households nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated provider.

The Big West successfully rolled out its mobile production facility two weeks ago at the women's soccer tournament semifinals at Cal State Fullerton.

"The Big West's basketball presence on ESPN3 expands upon what is already offered through ESPN2 and ESPNU, giving fans opportunities all season long to watch their favorite team in action," said Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell. "We anticipate our institutions will be able to use this endeavor as an additional avenue to promote and publicize their programs."